Fat-back-skinning machine.



PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

A. M. GILL. FAT BACK SKINNING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED D110. 14. 1906.

AUSTIN M. GILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FAT- BACK-SKINNING- MACHINE Specification of Letters 1*atent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed December 14, 1906. ssrisl NO- 347,7 l3.

1 '0 ad whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUSTIN M. GILI- a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, In the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinventeda new and useful Improvement in Fat-Back-Skinning Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for skinning the fat backs, as theyare commonly called, of hogs.

'The main feature of the invention is found in the means employed forfeeding the fat backs to the knife, whereby the skin is separatedtherefrom, and the nature of the improvement is fully disclosed in theaccompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of themachine. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig.l. and Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In said drawing, 5, 5 are standards in which are journaled the knifecarrying wheels 6, 6. The knife is in the form of a flexible endlessband 7 passing around the wheels 6 and operated thereby horizontally andcontinuously in one direction, one of said wheels being driven by a belt8 and pulley 9. The knife is sharp at one edge and the opposite edgemoves through a. stationary guide 10, plainly seen at Figs. 2 and 3.Between the standards 5 are other standards 11 in which are journaled asupporting roller 12 and a feeding roller 13. These rollers are botharranged so that their axes are parallel to the line of motion of theknife, and they are adapted to feed the fat back across the knife. Theroller 12 isfurnished with unyielding bearings, and it may be andpreferably is smooth surfaced. The feeding roller is provided with. 4bearings adapted to yield upwardly so that the roller may rise and fallin accordance with the thickness of the fat back which may be passingbetween the rollers. The upper roller also carries a series oflongitudinal ribs 14 arranged around its surface at equal distancesapart and preferably angular in shape. These ribs are I adapted to presstheir way into the fat side of the fat back, and by reason thereof toforce the fat back along in its course across the knife so that theknife may then separate the fat 15 from the skin 16, as plainlyillustrated at Fig. 3. The rollers 12 and 13 are driven continuouslyfrom any suitable source of power by the series of gears 17, 18, 19 and20, such' gearing being adapted to accommodate itself to the rising andfalling movement of roller 13. A table 21 supports the fat backuntil itis entered between and is engaged by the rollers.

'ously in one direction and The construction shown is very simple and isone which insures uniform thickness to the skin and avoids all danger ofdamage to the skin by the knife.

I am aware that it has been proposed to sever the fat from hog backs byemploying a stationary knife, in combination with feeding rolls actingboth on the top and on the bottom of the backs. I am convinced by m yown use of a stationary knife that it is not adapted to be used in amachine of the kind shown by me. In fact, it is wholly impractical. Themeat banks up in front of a stationary knife until the pressure from thefeeding devices becomes very great and sullicient to overcome theresistance. And-while it is thus banking up, the meat accumulatesunevenly sometimes above and sometimes below the knife so that when itis finally forced past the knife the cut which takes place maybe aboveor below theproper plane orpartly above and partly below. The resultingproduct has much fat on the skins which ought to be removed, and theskins are often cut. With a stationary knife also the feeding devicesmust be such as will take a strong hold of the skin side of the meat;and they can only do this by hooking or sticking sharp points into theskins. All the skins are injured in this way more or less, and theirvalue seriously lessened. The stationary knife machine requires muchmore power than the machine shown by me.

I claimz- 1. The combination in a fat back skinning machine, of atraveling band knife moving horizontally and continw rollers for feedingthe fat back across such knife, one of said, rollers upon the skin sidebeing unyielding, and the roller upon the fat side being yieldingnndhaving longitudinal feeding ridges or projections.

2. The combination in a fat back skinning machine, of

a traveling band knife moving horizontally and continuously in onedirection, and rollers for feeding the fat back acrosssuch knife, one ofsaid rollers being made yield ing, and armed with longitudinal ridges orprojections for feeding purposes.

3. The combination in a fat buck skinning machine, of a traveling bandknife moving continuously in one directlon; a guide for supporting saidknife at the point of cutting, and means for feeding the fat back acrosssaid knife, such feeding means having ridges, projections or teethengaging the fat back upon the fat side.

AUSTIN M. GILL.

